Defying Previous Generations To Become a Cowman

Today Neale and his wife Lauren, run 200 cows and have a meat processing plant.
( Lauren Neale )

When Ben Neale was a kid, he dreamed of being a cowman. The son, grandson and brother of engineers, Neale had a handful of cows as a kid but spent most of his time with cattlemen in his local community. Working for them and learning from them inspired him to figure out how he too could start his own ranch. Today Neale and his wife Lauren, run 200 cows and have a meat processing plant. The road to get there was anything but quick.

Neal spent 10 years after college working in the cattle industry. He spent that time learning, networking and being mentored by the industry’s best. Eventually, the drought of 2011 presented an opportunity for Neal to enter the business.

Learn more about Neal’s story in this episode of The First Years.

Are you a first generation farmer or do you know one we should feature? Send me a note at alaca@farmjournal.com.